Is all that Necessary? – By Jason Houchins
Well as I look at all the latest gadgets of technology today for fishing I can’t help but ask if all that is necessary? I mean do we really need 2 HDS10s, a Hydro Wave, and the latest battery operated lures to catch fish. I have to admit I’m personally not the greatest utilizer of the latest equipment, I can turn it on and navigate through the screens, but I really don’t think I use my HDS5 to its capabilities. Now my fishing style is definitely not that of a deep water kind, for the most part I stay shallow almost always and feel as if I would be better off with a 5’ stick vs. a depth finder. Now I think the GPS has totally changed the time on the learning curb of lakes, weigh points have become easy to obtain and have cut practice time by days. But really, how much of the rest of this stuff is needed?
Number one and most important in my personal opinion is confidence. I know guys that have everything under the sun, but still couldn’t catch a cold on tournament day. Some of these guys are good with electronics too, they can tell you all about everything and they really know their equipment. They are totally up to date on everything fishing and the technology of today, very impressive to me. Personally I don’t care about any of that if you can’t catch the fish. I have used fish finders on big water such as Erie or for catching spots in deep water in Alabama, but around here the most I use it, is while I’m crappie fishing. Maybe I’m the idiot who could really become better if I learned to better utilize what I have. But I just can’t help but think that most of what is designed today, is designed to catch fisherman as well as fish. It’s like a short cut you purchase that makes you a better fisherman overnight.
Fishing to me is so much about current conditions on that day vs. weigh points and Lake Map study. If I’m going to fish an unfamiliar body of water I will study lake maps a bunch before I go, not for fishing spots as much for familiarity with the lake. I’m not real big on weigh points unless I’m targeting off shore fish or fishing in a vast area, then it can really cut your time by 10 times. It’s not that I don’t plan, I just rely on my experience, time of year, and conditions to really dictate what happens on tournament days. I know some who would be done if their electronics went out or they lost a few weigh points, I’m just not wired that way. I fished most of the last 15 years with nothing on the front of the boat but a trolling motor, and nothing at the wheel but a GPS and a flasher, that’s how I roll. I guess I’m a little old school in my approach and maybe a lot out of date. Personally though, I think I have an advantage over most of the guys today, I feel as if I don’t need all that to compete, at least at the level I fish. I do know this much, if you dropped me off at lake x with nothing but a temp gauge and a trolling motor, I bet I could catch fish. But I still can’t help but think I’m missing something.
I think we rely too much on technology these days. I mean if I don’t have my smart phone within my grasps at all times, I can’t function. A big part of my day revolves around technology, without it I’m lost and unable to work or function. I don’t want to be that way when I’m fishing! I still believe we try our best to make fishing even harder than it is. To me most of this stuff only muddies the water and confuses us more and more, while we continue to believe the more stuff we have the better fisherman we become. I know my smartphone has made me dumber and I don’t want the latest technology to do the same when it comes to fishing. Think about it, how many phone numbers do you know? All my phone numbers are names, I couldn’t even give you an area code for anyone. I do think that there is a place for most of this stuff in some shape or form in fishing, but at some point we all need to ask ourselves that question. Is all of that necessary?